FARGO, ND. — The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $340.6 million in disaster assistance for farmers, ranchers and rural communities, announced Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on April 22.
Secretary Rollins made the announcement in North Dakota, where USDA is delivering over $5 million to help rebuild electric infrastructure following damage from severe storms and wildfires.
“My heart goes out to the families across our great country who have lost loved ones, homes, businesses and livelihoods,” she said. “As one of his first executive actions, President Trump made it a top priority for his administration to deliver fast and fair relief to communities impacted by disasters. USDA is fulfilling the president’s promise today and ensuring we are doing everything we can to support state and local efforts to rebuild these communities to be even stronger than before.”
In addition to supporting North Dakota communities, USDA plans to deliver $25 million in relief to North Carolina and $18 million to Tennessee. These communities were impacted by hurricanes since 2022, including hurricanes Fiona, Ian, Idalia and Helene.
As part of investment, USDA will use:
- $5.8 million to support economic development for enterprises and farm producers.
- $15.6 million to help rural communities rebuild key infrastructure after disasters.
- $20 million for safe drinking water, sanitary waste disposal, and electric infrastructure restoration.
- $2 million for technical assistance to towns seeking aid.
In the announcement, USDA said the Trump administration is making “key improvements to the fund” by “cutting bureaucratic inefficiencies.” Examples include deploying critical aid as quickly as possible, responding immediately to a backlog of requests from communities that have sought disaster assistance in recent years, waiving limiting eligibility criteria such as income requirements and population limits, and ensuring funds are more responsively and effectively managed, according to the agency.
